Contemporary aircrafts make extensive use of computer generated displays. Compared to earlier instrumentation, computer generated displays are easier for pilots to use and to understand; an advantage that can prove important when quick decisions must be made. One portion of such a display could be a synthetic view of the ground below and/or in front of the aircraft. Such a view can be generated from raw terrain data such as the commercially available U.S. Geological Survey Digital Elevation Model data or the Defense Mapping Agency's Digital Terrain Elevation data.